


Next Question

by EquusGirl (EquusGirl0621)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, Medication, Mentioned Mara Jade, Mentioned Mara Jade & Leia Organa, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27626162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquusGirl0621/pseuds/EquusGirl
Summary: The members ofMillennium Falcongo onLate Night with David Letterman. Of course, no press function is complete unless Leia gives the PR team a coronary.
Relationships: Chewbacca & Han Solo, Chewbacca & Leia Organa, Chewbaccaa & Leia Organa & Han Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Next Question

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elle_reads](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elle_reads/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Restricted Work] by [elle_reads](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elle_reads/pseuds/elle_reads). Log in to view. 



> Based on and set in the amazing _Off Script_ 'verse by elle_reads in which Han, Leia, and Chewie are all in a band called _Millennium Falcon_. Set in 1986, MF has just put out their fourth studio album following a hiatus. 
> 
> The beginning of the interview was inspired by a Cher interview of the same year in which she (in)famously calls Letterman an 'asshole'. Said interview can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcblpszrwAk). The whole thing is gold in my opinion but I love Cher so, you know. YMMV.

Leia took a deep breath as she stood in the wings, pulling herself together as David Letterman chatted with his band members—a man Leia had worked with on an album a few years ago. She fidgeted with her necklace, trying not to chew on her lip and subsequently ruin her lipstick. 

If their host would just up and introduce them already. 

Chewie’s hand landed on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze and some of her tension eased a little. She tilted her head back until it rested on his chest, smiling up at him. 

“It took my guests five years to agree to appear on the program and we’re very happy to finally have them. Everyone—”

“Oh fuck, not this again,” Leia muttered, righting herself with a huff. 

“Easy, Sweetheart,” Han whispered, reaching back to squeeze her hand before he stepped forward onto the stage with a big smile and wave. 

“Just remember he started it,” she muttered through her teeth as she put on a smile and followed her husband, Chewie following close behind. 

The heat of the stage lights hit like a brick wall. It ought to be familiar territory. Bright lights, a cheering crowd, but this was the land of interviews and late night television. And God help her, Leia fucking hated the press part of her job. 

She shook Letterman’s hand, hoping her smile wasn’t as stiff looking as it felt. Half the audience probably thought her the Ice Princess already. Leia pushed the thought away as she sat next to Han, Chewie on her right. She fought the urge to fidget as Letterman thanked them for being here, the crowd finally settling and quieting. 

“So uh, what album did you guys work on together?” David asked, directing the question at Leia and it took her a moment to realize he meant his keyboardist, not the rest of the band. She shifted in her seat, a grin cracking her face as she recognized the man behind the keyboard at the edge of stage right.

“John! How are you?” she asked, David’s question completely slipping her mind at the excitement of recognizing the man. 

His answering smile was warm and genuine. “I’m good, I’m good. How about yourself?” 

“Good,” she said sincerely, happy to hear he was doing well. “I’m doing alright, can’t complain.”

“Little Bird,” Chewie growled gently.

Leia turned in her seat to look at her bandmate. “I believe our host asked you a question,” he said with a kind smile, leading her back to the more important conversation. 

“Right, sorry,” she said, a flush creeping up her neck as she wracked her mind for the question and corresponding answer.

“No, no, by all means.” Mr. Letterman said with a laugh, a grin on his face as he watched the members of _Millennium Falcon_ interact. 

“We worked on uh, _Bella Donna_ wasn’t it?” she said, shifting to look back at John and hoping she wasn’t accidentally mistaking him for someone else. Those years were still a little fuzzy in her mind. 

“Correct, _Kind of Woman_ ,” he said, smiling with a nod. 

She nodded, the pieces clicking together in her mind as she looked back at their host. “ _Bella Donna_.”

Mr. Letterman chuckled, leaning back into his seat. “Very good, very good. Well, it’s nice to finally have you guys on the show, thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for havin’ us,” Han said, the same big smile still on his face.

“Has it really been five years?” Chewie asked, eyebrows furrowed as he glanced between his bandmates. “Can’t be that long, can it?” Anyone else looking at Han probably wouldn’t notice the way his shoulders tensed a little, rising just ever so slightly. Leia bit her tongue and tried not to raise an eyebrow at her bandmate. _What are you doing, Bacca_

“Yeah, you guys were on our initial list when the show first started but you resisted for the longest time. Why is that? What finally made you decide to come on the show?”

“Threats from our PR department,” Leia said deadpan, the snark popping out, unable to pass up the opportunity. The audience laughed and Letterman pretended to be hurt, playing dramatically to the crowd. Chewie bit his lip, trying and failing to hide a big smile. Han cut them both a look before returning his attention back to Letterman. “No, no, I guess we just changed our minds. I thought—”

“You thought I was—”

“A dick.” The words came out before Leia even consciously thought about it, but as her brain caught up with her mouth Leia raised her shoulders in a shrug. Chewie barked out a laugh behind her while even Han snickered. A flush crept up Letterman’s neck as he didn’t seem to know what to do with that information, a smile on his face nonetheless, the audience a mixture of laughter and boos. 

“Do you want the honest answer?” Leia asked over the din, trying to walk back the statement, knowing the label’s PR team was going to have her hide over this later. 

“Yes, please. Tell me how you really feel!” Letterman said, laughing and leaning forward in his seat. 

Leia pulled her knees up onto the seat, pushing back into it and getting comfortable. “I watch your show, I like your show—I think we all do?” She said, glancing at her bandmates who both nodded sincerely.

“You don’t have to say that,” Letterman said, a smirk forming on his face. 

“She wouldn’t,” Han said, taking a gentle dig at her with a smile. 

Leia lightly smacked his arm, smiling back at him. “Oh hush.”

“She’s not the one to hold back,” Chewie offered.

“You don’t say!” Letterman exclaimed, a certain edge to his laughter. 

“Well, you have to have a certain 'take no shit' attitude in this industry, wouldn’t you agree?”

Letterman laughed again, leaning forward in his seat. “You know, no one would ever guess you have such a sailor’s mouth,” he said.

Leia shrugged again, “I always have, drove my mom up the wall, bless ‘er heart.”

“Oh I can imagine,” Letterman said. “But I think you’re onto something there; you do have to harden yourself somewhat so things like people refusing to come on your show don’t get to you.”

Han laughed, catching Leia’s gaze as she rolled her eyes and giving her a quick wink. “I think what Leia’s tryin’ to say is there was a lot goin’ on during that time and goin on a new talk show wasn’t real high on our list of things to do. It was—”

“Scary,” Leia said, shifting in her spot on the sofa so she was closer to Chewie, her knees brushing Han’s side. 

“Really?” Letterman asked, seemingly surprised by her answer. 

“Well, yeah. I was in and out of the hospital when the show premiered and after that, Millennium Falcon sort of took a break as I started my solo career, so we weren’t doing press. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to come alone; if you don’t like your guests, well—”

“You might as well just not show up at all,” Chewie said.

Letterman opened his mouth as if to protest. “Ahhh, well. Fair enough,” he conceded with a chuckle. 

“Now for the love of _God_ , may we talk about something else?” Leia asked, hoping he’d leave the subject well enough alone now that they’d given him something.

“Of course,” Letterman said with a chuckle, glancing down at his notes before returning his gaze back to the band. “There’s been something I’ve wanted to ask you since you stepped out on the stage tonight, Han.”

Han stiffened ever so slightly, unnoticeable to probably anyone else save the people sharing the couch with him. “Yeah, what’s that?”

“Tell me about this scrunchie,” David said, pointing to the pale pink silk scrunchie on Han’s wrist. “Seems a bit of an odd fashion choice.” Leia relaxed a little, glad to be out of the immediate spotlight for a moment.

A flush crept up Han’s neck as he smiled and shifted nervously in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just a scrunchie, really. This one’s always looking for one.” Han said with a fond smile, glancing back at her in a way that made her chest swell with love. “So just started carryin’ one around.”

“Her hair’s already up though,” David said, pointing to Leia’s braided hair. 

“Yeah, well,” Han said, drawing the word out as he seemed to think about his response. “Just a habit I guess.”

“You should see his guitar case,” Chewie offered. “Has more hair pins and ties than guitar picks.” The audience let out a collective ‘awwwww’ that had Han’s flush deepening.

Han chuckled, nodding. “Leia’s always leavin’em around,” he said with shrug. 

“And that’s all there is to it?” Letterman needled, tilting his head as he if knew that wasn’t the whole story. 

Han huffed, a sheepish smile on his face as he shifted again, pressing into Leia’s knees. “You really don’t let ‘nything go, do you?”

“No,” Letterman said, looking like the cat that got the cream. 

“Dunno, just like wearin’ one now,” Han said, placing his hand over the somewhat worn out scrunchie and fidgeting with it. “Started out with just always havin’ one for her and now...just like havin’ a piece of Leia with me s’pose” 

It was Leia’s turn to blush and duck her head as the audience cooed and aw’d even louder, Letterman joining in this time, his smile growing wider. They might have been married for four years now, and been together even longer, but sometimes Han still managed to bowl her over with his love. 

“You two are too much,” Letterman said, looking between Han and Leia before turning to Chewie. “How do you do it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does it ever get difficult being the third wheel?”

Chewie looked genuinely confused, a hint of exasperation in his tone at being asked the age old question for what must be the thousandth time. “Well, there are certainly times where I wish they knew there was a time and place,” he said, nudging Leia playfully. Leia knowing full well what he was referring to, flushed even deeper, her skin feeling like it was aflame. “But no, I never really feel like a third wheel. I have a certain relationship with the both of them, both as a couple and individually; they’re very special people to me, whose friendship I hold dear.”

“Ah, yes. Speaking of that relationship,” Letterman said, turning back to his desk and reaching for something under it. Leia only barely bit back a groan. “I have a photo I wanted to ask you about.” He pulled out a black square of paperboard, a photo glued to it. 

“You two nearly burned down the tabloids when this photo surfaced,” he said, showing the audience a candid photo of Leia and Chewie, taken behind the scenes of one of their most recents shoots for _Mirage_. The photo showed Leia leaning back against Chewie’s chest, wrapped up in his coat with his arms around her. “Wanna tell me a little more about it?”

“What is there to tell?” Leia asked. “I was cold.”

“As I said, I have a special relationship with both Han and Leia—”

“A ‘special relationship’?” Letterman asked, a smirk on his face. 

“You really aren’t helping matters, Charles,” Leia said wryly, smiling at her friend apologetically. 

Chewie huffed and leaned forward in his seat, a look of determination on his face. “Yes. Little Bird and I—” He paused, seeming to consider his words carefully before he continued. “Han is the most gregarious of us all, he can talk to anyone for hours on end. And Leia can certainly hold her own; we can all socialize when we need to. But…”

“We’re quieter,” Leia continued, “And whereas you’ll always find Han talking with anyone and everyone, when I need a quiet minute, I know I can find Chewie off to the side, not quite in the thick of it as everyone else and I...I can...just take a minute to breathe. And that’s what you got in that photo.” 

Chewie nodded, giving Leia a grateful smile, placing a hand on her shoulder for a moment. 

“Plus, I was shivering my ass off,” she muttered, shifting and smoothing out her skirt. The audience laughed as Han snorted, reaching over to give her knee a quick squeeze. Thankfully, Letterman seemed satisfied enough with their answer to move on. 

“I have a couple other pictures for you, if you don’t mind.” 

Leia had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes but nodded as Han said, “Sure, sure.”

Letterman pulled out what looked like three or four more pieces of paperboard and Leia hoped they weren’t any more that had caused media stirs. “Now what about this one?” He glanced at it before angling it towards the audience, the three of them leaning forward in unison to see it.

Leia’s face split into a grin as she saw it. “Awww, MJ,” she said, examining the photo—a black and white concert still of Leia and Mara Jade sharing a microphone with Chewie smiling at them in the background. 

“That was from...the _Rumours_ tour?” Han asked, his brow furrowed as he stared at it a moment longer before settling back in his seat and glancing at his two bandmates. 

“No, the White Album tour, I think,” Chewie said. “That looks like MJ’s old bass.” 

Leia and Han both glanced at the photo again before Leia nodded, recognizing the beat up instrument in the photo. 

“Now for those in the audience that don’t know, who is MJ?” Letterman asked, watching the three of them converse with a keen interest. 

“The best bassist in the universe and our former bandmate, Mara Jade,” Leia said. 

“Everyone knows Luke and Leia are the terror twins, but you’d have never known it from the way she and MJ were together,” Chewie said, giving Leia a playful smirk.

“Now, what do you mean by that?” Letterman said, narrowing his eyes a little.

“From day one, she and Leia just… _clicked_. Like they’d been sisters their whole lives,” Han said, glancing back at Leia. 

Letterman turned back to Leia, addressing his next question to her. “So you and MJ were close?”

Leia nodded seriously, crossing her legs and bouncing her foot up and down. “Very. Still are. Thankfully she lives close by still or my phone bill would be higher than it already is,” Leia joked, trying to steer the conversation away from getting too deep. 

“And she left?” 

Han nodded. “She wanted to take a step back from touring for’a while.” 

Letterman nodded too, flipping to a different picture, another concert still, but this time of Han and Chewie—the two sharing a big grin with Han standing right in front of Chewie’s drum kit, his back to the audience. 

“Us Fest,” the three of them said in unison, laughing amongst themselves. 

“I love that you all immediately know,” Letterman said with a chuckle. 

“It was the biggest crowd we’d ever played to and arguably one of our best shows,” Han explained, leaning back against the sofa and laying his arm along the back, his fingers just barely touching Leia’s shoulder. “What you’re seeing there is our absolute relief and disbelief we pulled it off.”

“Now why?”

Leia snorted, catching herself before she leaned into Han. “There was a lot going and to this day, I still don’t know how we got through it. But we did,” she said, grinning at her bandmates.

“We did,” Chewie said, patting Leia’s knee with a fond smile, knowing what it had taken to pull off that particular feat.

“What was going on?” Letterman asked, glancing between the three of them. 

Leia allowed herself a sigh, Han moving his arm to take her hand with a quick squeeze. “You just want everything, don’t you?” she asked, a little ice creeping into what was meant to be delivered as a joke. “Us Fest was Labor Day weekend, I was hospitalized almost two months later, in November. Living with an undiagnosed autoimmune condition at the time, I’d been having a lot of trouble managing pain and many critics were quick to note a decline in my performances leading up to that show. And they were right, I was being prescribed a frankly ridiculous amount of painkillers. Too many really; to this day I don't remember a lot of that time.” She hoped this information was enough to satiate everyone’s curiosity, not wanting to get into her and Han’s rocky relationship at that point or god forbid what Mara Jade had been going through. “What’s your next picture?”

Thankfully, Letterman didn’t seem to know what to say to that—no one ever did, faced with chronic illness—and went along with her question. He flipped to the next piece of paper board, yet another concert still, this time Han smiling down at Leia while she sang, clearly enamored. The audience let out a big drawn out ‘aw’, color creeping back up Han’s neck. 

“I’d bet money that was during _Landslide_ ,” Chewie said, giving the two of them a knowing smile. 

“Oh definitely,” Leia agreed, unable to help her own grin. “God, we look so young there. That’s got to be from our first tour.”

“That was ten years ago?” Letterman asked.

“Eleven,” Chewie said quietly. 

Leia made a noise in the back of her throat. “Stop, I feel old,” she joked

“Hey now, what does that make me?” Han said, smirking down at her in a way that still felt like electricity humming through her veins. 

“Absolutely ancient,” she said, giving him an innocent smile even as she squeezed his hand. The audience laughed and Letterman announced it was time for a commercial break. 

Leia took a deep breath as the red indicator light turned off, Han leaning down so he could whisper in her ear. “Nearly done, Sweetheart.” She heard him inhale deeply, his nose brushing a braid before he turned back to Letterman, she and Chewie letting him do the conversational heavy lifting until the break was over. 

The rest of the interview went smoothly as they talked about their new album, everyone’s favorite songs, and if they were excited to tour as a band again. 

Still, Leia felt like she could finally breathe again as she followed Chewie offstage. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, at least.”

“Oh yeah, ‘m sure Madine’s gonna love you callin’ Letterman a dick,” Han said, grinning wide as they walked into the dressing room and began gathering their things. 

“I didn’t mean to! Not like he wasn’t asking for it though.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much, we followed the rules,” Chewie said, pausing a moment before speaking again, “For the most part.”

“What are they gonna do?” Leia asked, shrugging on her jacket. “Fire me?”

Han snorted, shaking his head as he too donned his leather jacket. “Dunno but I do know it'd all be a lot more boring without you, Sweetheart.

“Missed this,” he murmured, wrapping a hand around her waist and planting a kiss atop her braids. 

Leia smiled, “Feels like coming home.” As much as Leia loved her solo career, she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t missed being with the band too.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy belated birthday my dear friend; I hope you enjoyed this as I had the best time writing it. And thank you, for allowing me to play in your sandbox <3


End file.
